Dedicated frag systems, pest-free water, and what the racks should look like
A serious coral shop runs dedicated frag systems, separate from the fish tanks, with controlled flow, dosing pumps maintaining calcium at 420 ppm and alkalinity between 8 and 9 dKH, and high-output lighting like Ecotech Radion or Kessil A500X fixtures. The water is crystal clear because they are running carbon, GFO, and protein skimming aggressively to keep phosphates under 0.05 ppm. Frags sit on egg crate racks organized by light requirements: zoanthids and mushrooms on the lower shelves, LPS like torches and hammers in the middle, and SPS (Acropora, Montipora, Stylophora) up top under full blast. Every piece should have a label showing the name, price, and ideally how long it has been in the system. A coral that has been growing in the store for three or more weeks is a much safer purchase than something that arrived in a shipping box yesterday. Shops that flip coral straight from the box to the sales rack are gambling with your money.
Pest inspection and dipping: the steps that protect your entire reef
The single biggest risk of adding new coral is introducing pests into your established system. Acropora eating flatworms, montipora eating nudibranchs, red bugs, and Aiptasia hitchhikers have destroyed entire reef tanks. A trustworthy coral store dips every incoming piece in CoralRx, Bayer insecticide (the roach spray, diluted properly), or Revive before it touches their frag system. Ask to see the dipping process or at minimum ask what they use and how long pieces soak. When you bring coral home, dip it again yourself, even if the store already did. Use a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe to inspect the base, skeleton, and between polyps for anything moving. Flatworms are nearly transparent and easy to miss. Red bugs look like tiny orange specks on Acropora tissue. One missed pest can multiply into thousands within weeks, and by the time you notice tissue recession, the damage is extensive. Prevention is not optional in this hobby. It is the entire strategy.
Frags versus colonies and knowing what you are actually paying for
Coral pricing confuses newcomers because a one-inch frag of a high-end Acropora can cost more than a five-inch colony of a common toadstool leather. The price reflects rarity, growth rate, coloration under specific lighting, and demand in the collector market. Named corals like Walt Disney Acropora, Jason Fox Homewrecker, or World Wide Corals Bounce mushrooms carry premium prices because they trace back to documented mother colonies with proven color genetics. A good coral shop will explain this honestly. They will also tell you that a $30 zoanthid frag will give you just as much enjoyment as a $300 Acropora if your tank is not mature enough for SPS. Responsible shops steer new reefers toward hardy species first (Kenya tree, xenia, green star polyps, Duncan coral) and let you build up to the demanding stuff as your husbandry and equipment catch up to your ambitions.
